[Wildflower bloom in the Columbia River Gorge: 2013]

Wildflower Bloom in the Columbia River Gorge

BLM and Washington Department of Natural Resources Parcels

Middle Klickitat River Drainage

T4N R14E S16

Elevation: 900-1300'

March 15, 2013

A view north across the lower Little Klickitat River towards the snow-covered Simcoe Mountains...........March 5, 2011.

A view north across the lower Little Klickitat River towards the snow-covered Simcoe Mountains...........March 5, 2011.

* indicates the wildflower is currently in bloom.

Weather: Partly sunny in the morning to increasingly overcast with the sun trying to shine through the cloud layer. Mt. Adams and Mt. Hood (with thick lenticular clouds) visible in the morning but obscured by lowering cloud layer in the afternoon. Temperatures high 50s with light winds to 4 mph increasing to 10-15 mph in the afternoon. Klickitat Canyon visible from lower Swale Canyon north to Soda Springs. Lower Canyon Creek and lower Little Klickitat River visible. North side of the Columbia Hills and upper High Prairie are snow free. The Simcoe Mountains are covered with snow.

Pelt Lichen: Peltigera sp. (dark muddy brown with long, brown reproductive structures)

Juniper Moss: Polytrichum juniperinum

Polytrichum Moss: Polytrichum pilferum

Ponderosa Pine: Pinus ponderosa var. ponderosa

Douglas Fir: Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii

Alder: Alnus sp.

Oregon White Oak: Quercus garryana

* Willow: Salix sp.

Elk Sedge: Carex geyeri

Cheatgrass: Bromus tectorum

Bottlebrush Squirreltail: Elymus elymoides (ssp. ?)

Prairie Junegrass: Koeleria macrantha

Bluebunch Wheatgrass: Pseudoroegneria spicata

Medusa-head: Taenitherum caput-medusae

Onion or Harvest Lily: Allium sp. or Triteleia sp.

Sagebrush Mariposa: Calochortus macrocarpus var. macrocarpus - Many plants with basal leaves.

Panicle Deathcamas: Toxicoscordion paniculatum

* Grass Widows: Olsynium douglasii var. douglasii - A few plants in bloom.

Rein Orchids: Piperia (elegans or unalascensis ?)

* Common Chickweed: Stellaria media

Upland Larkspur: Delphinium nuttallianum var. nuttallianum - In bud.

* Spring Whitlow-grass: Draba verna

* Scalepod: Idahoa scapigera

Gooseberry-leaved Alumroot: Heuchera grossulariifolia var. tenuifolia

* Smooth Prairie Stars: Lithophragma glabrum

Northwestern Saxifrage: Saxifraga integrifolia var. claytoniifolia - A few plants in bud.

Oceanspray: Holodiscus discolor

Velvet Lupine: Lupinus leucophyllus

Columbia Gorge Lupine: Lupinus sp. (latifolius X sericeus ?) or Wyeth Lupine: Lupinus wyethii ?

Filaree: Erodium cicutarium

Deerbrush: Ceanothus integerrimus

Slender Clarkia: Clarkia gracilis ? or (Small-flowered Godetia: Clarkia purpurea ssp. quadrivulnera ?)

Tall Annual Willowherb: Epilobium brachycarpum

Ciliate Willowherb: Epilobium ciliatum (ssp. ?)

Burr Chervil: Anthriscus caucalis ?

* Columbia Desert Parsley: Lomatium columbianum - Beginning to bloom.

* Pungent Desert Parsley: Lomatium grayi - Beginning to bloom.

* Biscuitroot: Lomatium macrocarpum (yellow flowers) - Beginning to bloom.

Barestem Desert Parsley: Lomatium nudicaule

* Salt and Pepper: Lomatium piperi (with possibility some were L. gormanii) - Corms were palatible. Some plants were caulescent, others seemed to be acaulescent.

Suksdorf's Desert Parsley: Lomatium suksdorfii - Leaves just starting to come out.

* Desert Shooting Star: Dodecatheon conjugens - Beginning to bloom.

Poet's Shooting Star: Dodecatheon poeticum - In bud.

Columbia Frasera: Frasera albicaulis var. columbiana

Showy Phlox: Phlox speciosa

Puccoon: Lithospermum ruderale

Common Monkeyflower: Mimulus guttatus

Yarrow: Achillea millefolium var. occidentalis

Low Pussytoes: Antennaria dimorpha

Carey's Balsamroot: Balsamorhiza careyana

Knapweed: Centaurea (diffusa?)

Gray Rabbitbrush: Ericameria nauseosa (var. ?)

Yellow Salsify: Tragopogon dubius

Western Groundsel: Senecio integerrimus (var. exaltatus or var. ochroleucus ?)

Earth Stars (Geastraceae)


Animals Seen Along This Route:

California Ground Squirrels

Western Gray Squirrel nests ?

Mule Deer

Red-tailed Hawks

Ravens

American Crow

Pileated Woodpecker

Northern Flicker

Downy Woodpecker

Killdeer

Western Meadowlarks

American Robins - numerous

Western Bluebirds

Dark-eyed Juncos

Pacific Tree Frog

Great Arctic


 


Paul Slichter E-mail